Quick detachable starter mount



May 2 l950 'y R. E. sl-:ARs 2,506,239

' QUICK DETACHABLE STARTER MOUNT Filed Oct. 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nS Il d??? Q II l N l N S I v- I I os I IG I u; I l a n. "Tte I III i l gINVENToR. RICHARD E. SEARS BYi ATTORNEY May 2, 1950 R. E. SEARS2,506,239

QUICK DETACHABLE STARTER MOUNT Filed Oct. 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l uwwill H INVENToR. R/cHA RD E. SEARS ATTORNEY Patented May 2*, 195()Richard E. Sears, Shaker Heights, Ohio, ass-ignor' to Jack & HeintzPrecision Industries, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware'Application October 29, 1946, Serial No. 706,45@r p 6 Claims.

Thisinvention relates in general to starters for internal combustionengines and more particularly to means for mounting the starter on theengine for cranking the engine.

In aircraft engines, it is desirable and usual practice to provide meansfor detachably securing the starter to the engine so that the forwardend of the starter extends into the engine crankrcase andto havecomplementary adjacent ratchet starter and engine crankshaft jaws thatare normally disengaged' with means in the starter to effect engagementand disengagement of the jaws. The usual practice is'to provide thestarter with a, mounting fiange with a series of holes to receive boltsfor fastening the flange to the engine as the forward end of the starterextends into the crankcase. The tightening and loosening of these boltsis time consuming and it is difficult to insure uniform tightness of thebolts in assembly. Moreover, due to inaccessibility in many aircraft,installation and removal of the starter is either so difficult orimpossible that some other engine accessoriesm'ust be removed forstarter installation, adjustment or removal.

Therefore, it is one of the primary objects of the invention to providean improved starter mount and one that is simple and effective as a Yquick-detachable mount.

. forth in the following specification and appended claims, certainembodiments thereof being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a view of an aircraft engine starter partly in sideelevation and partly in section and a portion of the engine crankcasewall in section as well as the complementary securing screw threads onthe crankcase and starter casing with the single bolt for starterinstallation and removal;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary View in top plan of the starter housingshowing the assembling bolt and locking means therefor; and

Figure 3 is a view in section taken along line 3 3 of Figure 2, showingthe assembling bolt and locking means therefor.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the starter housing is'generally indicated at and the engine crankcase,at 2. In conventional practice the forward, or right, end of the starteras viewed in Figure 1, would be provided with an enlarged mounting angewith a series of bolt holes to receive bolts to extend therethrough forlocking the flange to the engine casing. The installation, adjustmentand removal of starters in such a manner is time consuming and manytimes difficult, if not impossible, because of inaccessibility withoutremoving other aircraft engine accessories.

Therefore, in the present invention the engine crankcase may be providedwith a ring gear 3, rigid with the crankcase 2, and having female spiralthreads to be engaged by similar male spiral threads 5 of a gear adapter6 which abuts the inner shoulder of a mounting plate 4 secured by bolts26 to the st-arter housing. To assist in mounting the starter, a seriesof screw bolts 21 are embedded in the crankcase to extend outwardlythrough the radial ange of ring gear 3,. On each bolt 21 is a threadedsleeve 28 that extends through a hole in the mounting plate 4 t0position the starter and prevent its turning.

With such an assembly, it is readily seen that a manual rotation of thepinion 9 in one direction forces the gear adapter 6 to rotate inwardlyin the ring gear 3 which draws the starter, with its engine cranking jaw29, intothe crankcase, to the right, by outward pressure of the gearadapter 6 on the mounting Yflange 4, and a similar manual rotation ofthe pinion in the opposite direction withdraws the starter from thecrankcase, to the left. Y

For the purpose of providing 'a simple single control means for sorotating andso installing, adjusting and removing the starter, thestarter housing is provided with an angularly extending bore 'I in itswall to receive a bushing 8 in which is removably secured a manuallyrotatable pinion 9. This pinion is provided with bevelled teeth I0 toengage similar teeth II on the inner end of the gear adapter 6. Thus amanual turning of pinion 9 physically moves the starter into or out ofthe engine crankcase according to the direction of manual rotation ofthe pinion.

The novel automatic locking means for locking the pinion in any adjustedposition is best shown in Figures 2 and 3. In greater detail the pinionhas a pivot bearing point 30 to engage a corresponding extension ofbore 1. The pinion has a reduced diameter portion I2 to receive apacking ring I3. Loosely fitting over the pinion is a plate I4 aperturedto receive the pinion 8 An application of a wrench to effect turning ofthe nut 23, and hence the pinion 9, and the simultaneous downwardpressurejwith the wrench upon plate I against the action of compressionCoil springs 2e and 25, brings the dodecagonal aperture 22 out ofregistry with the hexagonal nut 23 and permits the latter to be turnedin either direction. Release of manual downward pressure on plate l'Ipermits springs 24 and 25 to restore registry between the hexagonal nut-23 and the dodecagonal aperture 22 which latter automaticallyandeffectively locks -nut 23 against `rotation `in either direction.

From-the Aforegoing, it will be Yseen that .there haslbeen provided asimple and veflicient means whereby an engine starter may be quickdetachabl-y secured to an engine for engine crank `ing'fpurposes and anautomatic locking means thateiectively locks the starter in any desiredadjusted position without interference in the manual installation,adjustment or removal of the starter `from .the engine.

I claim:

1. -In a, device for securing, adjusting and detaching a pair ofhousings having complementary .-engageable threaded members, an internalgear carried by one 0f said housings, a single manu fally vrotatablepinion extending inwardly from the-exterior through said housingandengaging saidiinternal .gear to rotate the latter in either directionto .move said zliousing into or out Aof the other housing and means forlocking said .rstzhousing in any adjusted position,

"2.*In a device for securing, adjusting and deftaching a pair ofhousings'having complementary engageable threaded members, an internalgear carried .by one of said housingaa single rnanuially :rotatablepinion extending inwardly from ithe exterior through said Ahousing andengaging saidnternallgear to rotate the latter in either direction tomove said housing into or out of etheiother .housing andautomaticlocking means ffoirlockingsaid pinion in any adjusted position.

3.-[n..a.device for securing, adjusting and d eftachinga pair ofhousings having complementary engageable threaded members, an internalAgear Jcarriedlbyone of said housings, a single manu- .ally Yrotatablepinion extending inwardly from tthexterior ythrough said housing andengaging V:said'tinternal gear to rotate the latter in either.directionto move said housing into or out ofthe :other housing andautomatic locking means re- -siliently .urged to normally lock saidpinion `in .any 1 adjusted position.

4. In a device for securing, adjusting and detaching a pair of housingshaving complementary engageable threaded members, an internal gearcarried by one of said housings, a single manually rotatable pinionextending inwardly from the exterior through said housing and engagingsaid internal gear to rotate the latter in either direction to movehousing into or out of the other housing, automatic vlocking vmeansresiliently urged to normally lock said pinion in any adjusted position,said locking means comprising a member resiliently urged upwardly tosaid pinion.

A5. In a device for securing, adjusting and detaching a pair of housingshaving complementary engageable'threaded members, an internal gearcarried by one of said housings, a single manually rotatable pinionextending inwardly from the exterior through said housing and engagingsaid internal gear to rotate the latter in either direction .to .movesaid .housing into or vout of ythe other housing automatic lockingymeans re- .siliently .urged to normally locksaid .pinion inany adjustedposition, said locking means @Qmprising a polygonally .aperture plateand resilient means for 4normally urging .said -plate upwardly 120.engage a polygonal head of said pinion in zloclged engagement againstturning.

6. In a device for securing, adjusting and 1de,- Ytaching a pair of,housingshaving complementary .engageable threaded members, an `internalgear carried by one of said housings, a single .m-11ually rotatablepinion extending inwardly from the exterior through said housingand4engaging said internal gear to rotate vthe latter ineither direc,- tionto .move saidzhousinginto or outof theot'ner Vhousing automaticlookingmeans resilientlyurged `to vnormally lock said pinion in anyadjusted lpositionsaid'locking means comprising a `pOlvg.-

.onally .aperture plate and resilient means ,for .normally urging .saidplate upwardly toengage a .polygonal head of said pinion and manuallycompressible .to .unlock said pinion so that vthe latter is free to berotated .in either direction. RICHARD SEARS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references oi record Vin the file of thispatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name ADate ,413,569 Sherman Oct.. Y22, 18896.4.0;849 Wade V ,Jan.v9, 1900 1,191,893 Harriman July 18, ,-1.916.1,194,236 Richards Aug. 8, `1916 1,459,025 Hutchins June 19, 192-31,459,578 Densmore ,June 1,91923 .FOREIGNPATENIS Number Country Date.6,144 Great Britain Oct. 24, 1912 524,940 Great Britain Aug. 19, 9,40

